Project West Ford

Project West Ford was a 1961-1963 US military project to release 480 million copper needles into space to create an artificial ionosphere. The idea was to create an artificial ionosphere that would be more dependable for military communications. All it did was make a huge mess. Clumps of the needles are still in orbit, and the ESA considers it the worst deliberate release of objects into space. The international outrage led to the consultation clause in Article XI of the Outer Space Treaty. Now, any state that has signed the treaty can request consultation from another country if it thinks that country is doing something that can interfere with space exploration.